


A Simple Misunderstanding

by littleboxes



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (but it's not really relevant), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Other, Sassy Zuko, You know what they say about assumptions, Zuko reminisces, self-indulgent silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 06:56:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15383187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxes/pseuds/littleboxes
Summary: Zuko reminisces and Hakoda makes an assumption.(You know what they say about assumptions)





	A Simple Misunderstanding

**Author's Note:**

> Just an idea I've had sitting in my drafts for literal years, mostly self indulgent silliness, enjoy!

Zuko sat at the campfire, only half-listening to the cheerful chatter going on around him. He and Sokka had just returned from Boiling Rock, and everyone was in high spirits. Sokka was sitting next to Hakoda, their arms slung around each other’s backs, Sokka excitedly telling the story of one adventure or another. But it wasn’t Sokka who he was watching. Katara was flitting about, making sure everyone (but him) had enough food to eat, paying special attention to Hakoda. Her grin split her face in half. She had never reminded him of his mother as much as she did now. She radiated kindness like Ursa once did. Ah, but he had stared too long. The grin slipped from her face when she noticed his gaze, and the likeness was gone. 

   


Hakoda sat contentedly by the crackling fire, listening to Sokka tell him the story of Aang and the Fire Festival. Katara was offering him more soup, and he nodded his thanks. Being reunited with his children was wonderful, but he couldn’t help letting some melancholy slip through. Children. Looking around the campfire, they were all so young. None of them should’ve been fighting a war. As his gaze flickered from each silhouette, he paused.

Zuko was looking at his daughter. Looking at her like he’d looked at Kya when he was young. Oh, he’d listened when Aang told him of the Fire Prince’s true loyalties, not to mention he’d helped break him out, but he was a father. And every paternal instinct he had was telling him to protect his little girl.

   


Zuko lingered by the dying fire. He tried to help with the dishes, but Katara glared him away. “Can we talk?”

Zuko turned toward the voice. It was Hakoda. “Yes, sir?”

“I’ve told you, it’s Hakoda, not ‘Sir’- makes me feel old.”

“All right, Hakoda?”

“Zuko. I’m going to be blunt with you. What are your intentions toward my daughter?”

Zuko choked on air as he processed what Hakoda said. He thought that- that he- oh, Agni, he didn’t want to deal with this.

“Uh, um, nothing, S-Hakoda.”

“Do me the dignity of honesty, Zuko. I can see the way you look at her plain as day.”

“Oh, you think- Hakoda, Katara reminds me of my mother! I could never like her that way” _Not to mention she’d stab me with an icicle if I dared even think something like that._

Hakoda raised a skeptical eyebrow. It was then that Zuko knew that A) he didn’t believe him, and B) he wouldn’t believe him unless he told him the truth.

“Hakoda, if you think I’m going to steal the virtue of one of your children, Katara _really_ isn’t the one you should be worried about.”

Zuko walked away from the campfire, leaving a gaping Hakoda in his wake. He had to admit, his reaction was almost worth it.

   



End file.
